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Recent screen
- Thread starter Xyoutuber
- Start date
I don't even see anything like that on my Galaxy s21, so I think you are talking about an old Samsung feature that no longer exists (the only setting I have for it is to toggle whether it puts 4 "suggestions" icons based on recent usage at the bottom of the screen). What you see now is the standard Android recents screen of the last few years - prior to that the norm was a set of icons and names but no live images.
Apps that are really sensitive can blank themselves out on the recents screen, e.g. my banking or encrypted notes apps do this. So maybe you could check the settings of say your email app to see whether there is an option, or contact the developer?
I'll be honest, I do find it useful being able to check a piece of information on a recent app without having to switch to it, and use that surprisingly often. I don't regard it as a huge security risk, as it only shows one app at a time so I could swipe past an email before anyone can read it - using a phone in public without awareness of who might be looking over your shoulder is a security risk per se, and I don't think this feature changes that either way really. I can see a greater potential for embarrassment, but after using it for several years I've overall found it a benefit.
Apps that are really sensitive can blank themselves out on the recents screen, e.g. my banking or encrypted notes apps do this. So maybe you could check the settings of say your email app to see whether there is an option, or contact the developer?
I'll be honest, I do find it useful being able to check a piece of information on a recent app without having to switch to it, and use that surprisingly often. I don't regard it as a huge security risk, as it only shows one app at a time so I could swipe past an email before anyone can read it - using a phone in public without awareness of who might be looking over your shoulder is a security risk per se, and I don't think this feature changes that either way really. I can see a greater potential for embarrassment, but after using it for several years I've overall found it a benefit.
Thanks for the response. Only app that shows name only is "signal" but my tutanota email shows all open emails. On my old phone (Samsung note 9) only the name of app showed on one screen from top to bottom and I could just click on it to get back to it. I think it was called slim something. I found out how to do it from a YouTube video. I had to download an app called "good lock" in order to get it done. I'll ask tutanota about it. Best part of my Samsung phone!!
Hang on, "Slim something"? A few years ago there was a custom ROM, available for a few devices, called "Slim ROM", which had its own implementation of the recents view (which some other ROMs copied). But that's not an Android or Samsung feature, it's custom software for (some) rooted devices.
Good Lock is a Samsung-specific customisation app, so I don't think that would be an option for you now. I don't know much about it as I only recently moved to Samsung (after using a Pixel 2 single launch - we seem to be moving in opposite directions!), so don't know whether any of its modules would emulate the Slim recents view. But as that app's only for Samsungs it won't work on a Pixel, and I don't offhand know whether there is an alternative for more standard Android (Samsung's Android is quite heavily modified).
Good Lock is a Samsung-specific customisation app, so I don't think that would be an option for you now. I don't know much about it as I only recently moved to Samsung (after using a Pixel 2 single launch - we seem to be moving in opposite directions!), so don't know whether any of its modules would emulate the Slim recents view. But as that app's only for Samsungs it won't work on a Pixel, and I don't offhand know whether there is an alternative for more standard Android (Samsung's Android is quite heavily modified).
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